11190 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 41 / Friday, February 29, 2008 / Notices 

countermeasures would contribute as a 

potential solution. 

The Department has identified a list 

of potential project types (below), for 

each crash category for consideration by 

applicants. Applications are not limited 

to these project types and innovative 

approaches are encouraged. However, 

projects should be consistent with the 

objectives of the Rural Safety Innovation 

Program. 

1. Roadway Departure Crashes 

• Dynamic curve warning systems. 

• Advanced road departure warning 

systems. 

• Innovative safety infrastructure 

improvements (i.e., cable guard rail, 

rumble strips and stripes). 

2. Intersection and Pedestrian Crashes 

• Intersection collision avoidance 

systems (i.e., sensors to provide 

oncoming traffic gap alerts, merge safety 

warnings, pedestrian and obstruction 

detection, variable safety signage). 

• Innovative intersection treatments 

(i.e., roundabouts, continuous flow 

intersections). 

3. Speeding Related Crashes 

• Variable speed limit systems (with 

or without automated speed 

enforcement). 

• Coordinated speed management 

systems. 

4. Range of Crashes 

• Roadway condition indicator/ 

traveler information systems (i.e., ice 

detection/low friction, bridge deicing 

systems, poor visibility systems, road 

closure notification). 

• Road side detection and warning 

systems. 

• Work zone safety systems. 

• Corridor safety applications. 

• Innovative roadway safety data 

collection and analysis techniques. 

• First Responder/Public Safety 

Services applications: Fire, Emergency 

Medical Services, Law Enforcement, 

HazMat, Towing, etc., that include 

vehicle tracking, automatic crash 

notification, telemedicine, and Wireless 

Enhanced 9–1–1 data transmission 

technologies. 

B. Design and Implementation Outline 

The Applicant should submit a brief 

statement outlining their potential 

Design and Implementation Plan. A 

detailed plan will only be required by 

those invited to submit a Proposal in 

Phase II. 

C. Financial Plan 

The Applicant should submit an 

initial plan that identifies potential 

sources of financing including the 

private partner’s role, if applicable. 

Applicants must identify all funding 

and match sources being proposed, 

including the Federal funding source 

under this program. More than one 

Federal funding source may be 

identified if applicable. Refer to section 

B. for links to potential Federal funding 

sources. 

D. Management and Staffing Plan 

Describe briefly which organizations 

will lead the project, and how 

responsibilities for task completion will 

be shared among proposed project 

partners. The Application should also 

include a proposed project time-line 

with estimated start and completion 

dates for major elements of the proposed 

Rural Safety Innovation Program 

Project. 

ii. Safety Benefits—The Applicant 

should provide a brief description of the 

potential safety benefits based on the 

countermeasures proposed. 

iii. Evaluation of Rural Safety 

Innovation Program Projects—The 

Department will also coordinate the 

evaluation of the effectiveness of 

projects. An independent evaluation 

team will be hired by the Department to 

develop an evaluation plan, and to 

conduct and coordinate evaluation 

efforts. Funding recipients will be 

required to collect specified before and 

after data and information as a 

condition of receiving funding, and to 

facilitate the Department’s evaluation 

efforts. Depending on the number of 

projects selected, the Department may 

conduct evaluations of only a subset of 

projects. 

F. Evaluation Criteria 

The Department has identified 

evaluation criteria that will be used to 

select Applications to advance to the 

Phase II—Proposal stage. 

Main Evaluation Criteria 

i. An active High Risk Rural Roads 

Program. 

ii. An active Highway Safety Program 

that complements the proposed project, 

including enforcement, education and 

emergency medical services. 

iii. Participation by the State Highway 

Safety Office. 

iv. Ability to provide appropriate nonFederal match to Federal funds 

requested. 

v. Ability to meet the criteria and 

requirements of the proposed Federal 

funding source. Refer to section B. for 

links to potential Federal funding 

sources. 

vi. Sufficient data and analysis 

procedures to identify problem areas 

and appropriate countermeasures. 

vii. Feasibility of proposal (risk level). 

Additional Evaluation Criteria 

i. Counties with highest number of 

rural fatalities. 

ii. Demonstration of cost share with 

public and private sector partners to 

develop innovative and creative Rural 

Safety Innovation Program projects. 

iii. Ability to demonstrate a 

significant benefit/cost ratio that will 

assist the Department in promoting rural 

safety throughout the United Sates. 

iv. Relationship between percentage 

of rural roads owned and operated by 

local agencies and participation by these 

agencies. 

v. Road Safety Audits used in project 

development and solutions. 

vi. Use of market ready technologies 

(including ITS) and innovations for 

improving roadway safety. 

vii. Inclusion of outreach and 

education plan (for both provider/user 

agencies and the public). 

viii. Clarity and specificity of 

proposal. 

ix. Qualifications and experience. 

Issued on: February 21, 2008. 

J. Richard Capka, 

Federal Highway Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E8–3716 Filed 2–28–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

Sunshine Act Meetings; Unified Carrier 

Registration Plan Board of Directors 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

TIME AND DATE: March 26, 2008, 11 a.m. 

to 2 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. 

PLACE: These meetings will take place 

telephonically. Any interested person 

may call Mr. Avelino Gutierrez at (505) 

827–4565 to receive the toll free 

numbers and pass codes needed to 

participate in these meetings by 

telephone. 

STATUS: Open to the public. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The 

Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board 

of Directors (the Board) will continue its 

work in developing and implementing 

the Unified Carrier Registration Plan 

and Agreement and to that end, may 

consider matters properly before the 

Board. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Avelino Gutierrez, Chair, Unified 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 41 / Friday, February 29, 2008 / Notices 11191 

Carrier Registration Board of Directors at 

(505) 827–4565. 

Dated: February 25, 2008. 

William A. Quade, 

Associate Administrator for Enforcement and 

Program Delivery. 

[FR Doc. 08–916 Filed 2–27–08; 12:26 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2008–0009, Notice No. 1] 

Establishment of an Emergency Relief 

Docket for Calendar Year 2008 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of establishment of 

public docket. 

SUMMARY: On August 30, 2006, FRA 

published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) 

addressing the establishment of 

emergency relief dockets (ERD) and the 

procedures for handling petitions for 

emergency waivers of safety regulations. 

71 FR 51517. The IFR provided that 

each year, FRA will establish an ERD for 

that year and publish a notice in the 

Federal Register identifying the docket 

number of the ERD for that year. This 

Notice announces the establishment of 

FRA’s ERD for the current year 

(calendar year 2008). The designated 

ERD for calendar year 2008 is docket 

number FRA–2008–0009. 

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section for further 

information regarding submitting 

petitions and/or comments to Docket 

No. FRA–2008–0009. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 

30, 2006, FRA published an IFR 

addressing the establishment of ERD 

and the procedures for handling 

petitions for emergency waivers of 

safety rules, regulations, or standards 

during an emergency situation or event. 

71 FR 51517. As noted in the IFR, FRA’s 

purpose for establishing the ERD and 

emergency waiver procedures is to 

provide an expedited process for FRA to 

address the needs of the public and the 

railroad industry during emergency 

situations or events. The IFR added 

§ 211.45 to subpart C of 49 CFR part 211 

(49 CFR 211.45). Section 211.45(b) 

provides that each calendar year FRA 

will establish an ERD in the publicly 

accessible DOT docket system and that 

FRA will publish a notice in the Federal 

Register identifying by docket number 

the ERD for that year. This Notice No. 

1 announces that the designated ERD for 

calendar year 2008 is docket number 

FRA–2008–0009. 

As detailed in the IFR, if the FRA 

Administrator determines that an 

emergency event as defined in 49 CFR 

211.45(a) has occurred, or that an 

imminent threat of such an emergency 

occurring exists, and public safety 

would benefit from providing the 

railroad industry with operational relief, 

the emergency waiver procedures of 49 

CFR 211.45 will go into effect. 70 FR 

51518. In such an event, the FRA 

Administrator will issue a statement in 

the ERD indicating that the emergency 

waiver procedures are in effect and FRA 

will make every effort to post the 

statement on its Web site http:// 

www.fra.dot.gov/. Any party desiring 

relief from FRA regulatory requirements 

as a result of the emergency situation 

should submit a petition for emergency 

waiver in accordance with 49 CFR 

211.45(e) and (f). Specific instructions 

for filing petitions for emergency 

waivers in accordance with 49 CFR 

211.45 are found at 49 CFR 211.45(f). 

Specific instructions for filing 

comments in response to petitions for 

emergency waivers are found at 49 CFR 

211.45(h). 

Privacy 

Anyone is able to search all comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the comment, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 

665, Number 7, Pages 19477–78). The 

statement may also be found at http:// 

www.dot.gov/privacy.html. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 25, 

2008. 

Grady C. Cothen, Jr., 

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety 

Standards and Program Development. 

[FR Doc. 08–889 Filed 2–28–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–M 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES